Sleuth 13/07/2012

 Sleuth is a sideways glance at the city every week, it's the truth, but Sleuth's truth. He's several people all at once. We give £25 for every story/rumour and piece of absurdity you find for us to publish. Sleuth sometimes even gets serious. We ask for the money back if any legal action follows. Follow Sleuth on twitter @Sleuth

Sleuth’s Best Manchester Website Of The Week – Possibly The Year

Of course Confidential is the best Manchester website by an urban mile but Sleuth admires the folks behind this simple web-baby - click here. They’ve got a camera in a building opposite the Hacienda and they take pictures of the people who stand under the sign to get their picture taken in honour and commemoration of the Most Lamented Club The WORLD Has Ever Known. Sleuth loves the man with the buggy, the group of “we’re crazzzeee” people, but most of all the lad asking his girl to marry him. Sleuth hears the girl was ecstatic but later wished she’d not taken any drugs. Still once again this proves how Manchester is Europe’s most romantic city. 

Hacienda Watch Wedding

Hacienda Watch

Hacienda Watch

Sleuth's Awards Of The Week

Sleuth hears the Museum of Science and Industry recently hosted an awards for the insolvency industry. Sleuth imagines announcements such as this: "So let's put our hands together for Tom and his special award 'Putting down more companies than anybody else in the North West this year'. Well done Tom." Sleuth wonders whether every employment sector really need an awards event? Is there a bin-mens awards? A sewage workers? A battery-chicken farmers awards?

Sleuth’s Birthday Of The Week

This will be St Ann’s Church, which will be 300 years old on Tuesday 17 July. Using the Sleuth method of calculation (click here) that will be a Happy 109,500 Days old. 

17 July, 1712, the dedication stone on the church tower

Sleuth’s Odd Library Initiative Of The Week

Manchester Libraries are offering a cash incentive to get adults reading more this summer. Every library will have displays of mystery books wrapped in brown envelopes spread around the shelves. Library members who read a total of ten mystery books before October 31 will be entered into a prize draw for a £100 shopping voucher. To encourage readers to try something different, the list of ten needs to include books from at least six genres to qualify. Sleuth approves but would like to see a similar scheme introduced in off-licences as he doesn't think he's varying his alcohol intake sufficiently.

Sleuth, Steps And Bjorn Again

News that Steps would be headlining Manchester Pride this August caused a few Village eyebrows to be raised from Gay and Lesbian ranters on Confidential. Tblzebra asked 'Is this a joke?' JB thought it 'thus perpetuat(ed) the idea that all gay people like tacky, cheesy pop and reinforced homosexual stereotypes.' Sleuth is pleased to announce that the Steps announcement has been followed with another musical coup. Bjorn Again, the Abba cover band, will also be onstage during Pride. Sleuth reckons that should sort out any 'gay stereotype' nonsense. 

Bjorn Again - will not reinforce gay stereotypes in any way 

Ghost On In Manchester's Haunted Underworld?

Sleuth was taking a party of psychics on a Manchester Haunted Underworld Tour (click here) a week ago. This goes forty feet under the Barton Arcade, close to St Ann's Square. The psychics were getting 'cold spots' and 'zones of energy' or something, in one of the chambers of the spooky undercroft. They took this picture as well. Is that a ghost on the left all fuzzy like or a messed up panoramic pic? You decide. 

Ghost in the undercroft

Sleuth And The £1m Chip

Sleuth had a lovely meal in Genting casino recently with Gordo and several Confidential heroes including one young lady who introduced herself thus: "I'm from Essex and I never shut up." She didn't. Genting are doing some work with Confidential at present - click here. Later in the evening Sleuth realised he'd forgotten his debit cards but saw what looked like a large coin under the table. He paid the bar bill with the coin-like object but got so involved in a conversation he left the change on the bar when he left. Silly Sleuth.

Keep the change